My Wish List for Zara Canada Online
Posted: March 6, 2013 Filed under: Girl Stuff | Tags: #DearCanada, My favourite store in Toronto, Zara Canada Online Shopping, Zara online shopping 1 Comment
L-R, T-B: Shift Dress ($99.90), Kimono Style Blazer ($79.90), Dress with White Stripe ($79.90), Dress with Faux Leather Pockets ($79.90), Dress with Cape Sleeve ($79.90), Double Breasted Blazer ($139), Coat with Large Pockets ($119), Boho Chic Cardigan ($79.90), and Combined Faux Leather Coat ($119)
My favourite store is online! Zara Canada has made its way into the e-commerce, finally. This is good and bad for me.
GOOD Look at all the nice things that put on my wish list. I like picking out jackets, blazers and dresses from Zara because they can AMP up your outfit for work or going out on a Friday night. I mean, you can wear it a bunch of times with different pieces.
My heart is all aflutter with the blacks, whites, solid brights, leather details, and fantastic shapes in the current collection. I love online “window shopping” and sometimes that turns into some nice additions to my wardrobe. It’s not like I work downtown where I can easily go to a Zara on my lunch break to just scope it out. Best part? If you need to make a return, you can do it at a Zara store – easy!
BAD My wallet will suffer a tiny, tiny heart attack.
What’s on your wish list?
olive + piper: Pretty and Soft vs. Edgy and Cool?
Posted: March 5, 2013 Filed under: Girl Stuff | Tags: affordable and trendy jewelry, olive + piper, spring time jewelry Leave a comment
Being more “girly” is a recent thing for me. Back in the day, I used to be a tom boy where I climbed trees, dressed only in t-shirts & jeans, and never ever wore jewelry.
I’m a bit older now, and one fashion lesson that I learnt is that accessories like jewelry can completely spruce up an outfit. The next step is finding your style, or different styles! Example: edgy goth, blingy princess, or euro minimalistic.
For me, I kind of like it all. Call me a chameleon if you want to. That’s why I can’t pick between these two necklaces from olive + piper.
Pretty and soft Cheshire Blooming Collar ($35) on the left? Or, edgy and cool Maddox Spike Collar ($30) on the right? HELP ME!
A little about olive + piper from their Twitter bio: Follow us for the latest styles in affordable + trendy jewelry that’ll make your heart happy. Ships worldwide.
Boom Brunch with Brains + Beauty Bloggers
Posted: November 21, 2012 Filed under: Event, Food, Girl Stuff | Tags: Boom Breakfast & Co, Brunch in Toronto 1 CommentLast weekend, I was invited to join Val and fellow bloggers for brunch at Boom Breakfast & Co on Eglinton. It was such a treat because:
– I honestly can’t remember the last time that I went for brunch;
– It is so close to my house, and that makes it easy for those days that I want to crawl out of bed and eat asap; plus,
– The service was sweet and polite!
Should we name this a national treasure? I think so! I devoured this benny with plenty of ketchup, my all-time favourite condiment.
Snap, snap, snap! We have cameras and smart phones…and we know how to use them.
Here are the lovely ladies from L to R: Anum, Gloria, Judy (me!), Amy, Elaine, Nataleigh, Val, Maria, Crystal and Ashley. Picture taken by Tamar (our lovely waitress who blogs!) on Maria’s camera – thanks for letting me steal this!
Missing: Alyssa who left just before this picture was taken.
It’s almost the weekend, care for brunch? Boom Breakfast & Co. has 3 locations:
1. 808 College St. (near Ossington)
2. 1036 St. Clair Ave West
3. 174 Eglinton Ave
Girls’ Night Out: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
Posted: November 17, 2012 Filed under: Event, Girl Stuff | Tags: ballet, Four Seasons Leave a comment
“A brilliantly theatrical, superbly designed extravaganza of colour and costume, madcap action and fluent dance.” – The New York Times
Back in February, my friend Alison booked off our ballet date. Yes, we need to plan that far in advance because of our busy schedules. Finally yesterday, Alison, Giorgia and I attended “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” presented by The National Ballet of Canada.
We loved it! It is #1 in my ballet books (not that I have any, and I’m still shaky on my pirouettes).
My highlights from the ballet:
1) The Cheshire cat played by 6 dancers holding the head, legs and tail pieces in sync.
2) The comedic portrayal of pivotal scenes like the introduction of the Queen of Hearts with her unwilling suitors.
3) The meaning and details behind the visual depiction of the story with the set, costumes and even choice of characters. This lends so much since ballets do not involve spoken dialogues.
Side note: If you enjoy people watching, the ballet is for you. Basically, you get 4 groups of ballet goers:
1) Tweens dressed up to the 9s including 6-inch heels for the girls and smart suits for the boys. They are likely students from The National Ballet of Canada since I noticed that they got off at Welleslley station on the TTC.
2) Women in their 20’s and 30’s dressed in their fashionable night-out attire. That’s us! And, my co-worker Laura and her friend Erica who attended on the same night.
3) Families with adorable young children.
4) Couples where the girlfriend or wife manages to drag out their boyfriend or husband.
Girls in Tech Toronto #PowerHourSocial: 4 Entrepreneurial Lessons for Women
Posted: October 17, 2012 Filed under: Event, Girl Stuff, This is what I think of | Tags: @GITdot, entrepreneurship, Girls in Tech Toronto 2 Comments
Today, I made my way to the Edelman office in downtown Toronto for my first event organized by Girls in Tech Toronto (@GITdot). Why I haven’t I gone to a GITdot event before? I have no idea because this #PowerHourSocial was amazing.
The concept of driving innovation and supporting women in technology (traditionally dominated by men) is important to me.
I left the event feeling inspired having learnt so much and talked to women who are smart, driven and ambitious.
As the blog post title says, I have 4 quickie lessons that I took away from the presenters:
1. Alison Gibbins (Simplify Analytics) > Baby Simplify lets new parents in on what they need and don’t need for their baby.
Do what works for you as an entrepreneur in terms of using your time. Think about how you want to go about pushing out your business – go-go-go approach or the slow and steady approach? Think about leveraging the opportunities when you aren’t working your full-time job (i.e. maternity leave).
2. Lorena Scott (MommiesFirst) > MommiesFirst delivers customized best-of- market baby products according to the baby stages.
Be brave because being an entrepreneur is lonely. Women tend to work hard and be even tougher on themselves.
3. Tamar Melissa Huggins (Driven Accelerator) > Driven Accelerator mentors start-up entrepreneurs in an accelerator style. And, they operate as a non-profit organization!
Make a difference in the lives of others. It’s a selfless approach to building a business, and it can and will work.
4. Natasha Baker (SnapEDA) > SnapEDA is a social network for electrical engineers who are looking to share and acquire CAD representations.
Build on your strengths, and leverage them where you see opportunities. In this case, Natasha saw a big hole in the way her fellow electrical engineers were sourcing visual representations of circuit boards.
Sorry, no pictures. The ones that I took were too blurry! I need to bring a real camera next time.
Check out the next Girls in Tech Toronto event here.
My Favourite Fall Outfit
Posted: October 15, 2012 Filed under: Girl Stuff, Seasonal, This is what I think of | Tags: Eaton Centre, Edit, Jeanne Beker, Shopping, Sweater, The Hudson Bay, Zara 1 Comment
First world problem: Shopping for new fall and winter clothes that work for my wardrobe and budget. Forget Forever 21, and don’t say that I didn’t try. I looked, and they had nothing even worth even $10 in the sweater department. My search took me to Eaton Centre and the Yonge/Bloor area, and this is what I found:
1. Twisted Knit Frilled Jumper from Zara. The wide neck, belted waist, and flared bottom makes this sweater more special and dressy.
2. Edit by Jeanne Beker Military Wool Jacket from The Bay. The cape! The cape! The cape!
3. 5B Wax Coated Denim from Zara. They have a glean to resemble leather pants for the tough kid look.
Final thoughts:
1. Sweaters are so plain expensive . I don’t remember them being so much in the past. Next time, I’m going to the Dixie outlets and purchasing during off seasons when there are more sales too.
2. Sweaters should come with pockets for all your phone, keys and other trinket-y things.
3. Sweaters in cardigan format are the best. They are versatile for layering, and you can wear them more often since you can switch out the inner layer.
My Skin’s Secret Weapon
Posted: October 10, 2012 Filed under: Girl Stuff, This is what I think of | Tags: body butter, exfoliating body scrub, GRATiAE, skin, skincare, winter Leave a commentIn Toronto, the temperatures have dipped to the single digits.
Enter dry skin.
Those dry elbows, dangit! I was even called “chalky” by a coworker. My lotion of choice for these past weeks has been a hotel moisturizer. That’s not the brand name, it’s a mini bottle of grassy-smelling moisturizer from a work stay over at the Park Hyatt.
Time for a change, and my skin needs exfoliant and body butter.
Enter GRATiAE, an organic skin care line.
It’s like Breyers ice cream where there are only a few pure ingredients. I like that because loads of stinky chemicals aren’t good for your body.
I tried the GRATiAE Exfoliating Body Scrub ($59.99) and Body Butter ($59.99).
This is sweet, literally. The tub is full of sugar, and it’s the best natural exfoliant. It’s way better than that apricot stuff.
After rinsing, I noticed that the water beaded on my skin. It’s the sweet almond oil in the scrub that keeps the skin moisturized.
This is heavy cream, and that makes for the best fall/winter moisturizer. If you are a fan of sweet smells, this is it.
Tip for life. Make sure you moisturize right after a shower or bath. After your skin dries, it doesn’t hold moisture of the creams as well.
Oh, and make sure to get those elbows. You don’t want to be called chalky this fall/winter.
Here is the rest of the GRATiAE Story:
I got polished!
Posted: September 20, 2012 Filed under: Girl Stuff Leave a commentI keep my fingernails short. It’s my leftover habit from years of playing the piano. On the odd occasion, I’d try to beautify my short nails by painting them. On the even odder occasion, I’ll have someone else paint my nails at a salon or spa.
FYI: On the cheapo side, a manicure and pedicure combo costs $35 in Toronto. But, there are better deals at better salons. I got my $25 Buytopia deal at Vikaspa in fancy Yorkville (check it out while it’s still hot).
“Dutch Ya’ Just Love OPI?” for my fingers | “Malaga Wine” for my toes (sorry, no feet pictures!)
The good:
– Danielle, my esthestian, was beyond nice. She was insistent on my comfort throughout the 2-hour appointment. I didn’t feel rushed even though it was her last appointment of the day.
– It was clean, and this is important.
– Prime time location that’s easy to get to.
The not so good:
– The nail polish selection is on the small side. But, I was told that they keep it that way to make it easier on the customer to make a decision on polish colour.
– The lack of a real spa feel if you are into that.
Would I go back?
– My nail polish usually chips off within the first minute. But, I managed to keep it relatively chip-free that night from the salon –> Hemingway’s for drinks with friends –> the TTC ride back home.
– I’d go back. In fact, I already booked my next appointment in October.
Thank you @valtorontogirl for this special treat!
My Black Friday Dress
Posted: November 28, 2011 Filed under: Girl Stuff | Tags: fashion 1 Comment
I’ve been good for so long. My shopping hiatus came to a halt on Black Friday (the American Boxing Day). This dress is from Modcloth.com, a retro and vintage clothing shop. For $30 including tax and shipping, this dress is cheap chic!
Maybe I’ll wear it to my holiday party at work where I’ll be in two acts in the talent show (one piano/saxophone duet with the company founder, and one dance/song number with my department). Or, maybe, I’ll wear it to my sister’s wedding!
Now, back to my regular shopping hiatus.
My Birthday Outfit
Posted: November 15, 2011 Filed under: Girl Stuff | Tags: Birthday, fashion, Toronto Leave a comment
My Twitter profile tells you that I’m a hoodie and jeans girl. It’s true, and no one gets it as much as those who know me the most. Take Pia, Middy and Kerby, my best friends, who got me a dressy version of my “uniform” for my birthday! I can do dressy; afterall, I’m in Toronto now.
Billabong assymetrical jacket with hood from Middy and Pia
Perfect for layering under a winter jacket, or layering over a simple tank.
Club Monaco sparkly gold belt from Kerby
Perfect for that extra bling and creating that cinched waist look.
Thank you, girls!
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